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  That's White "Man" to You
Posts: 5515
 
| Has anybody every purchased a horse from an online action, such as when people do facebook auctions? Would you? What would you expect in order to participate in one of these? I see several of these happening and am curious as to the type of people that buy from them. | |
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 Off the Wall Wacky
Posts: 2981
  
Location: Louisiana | I'm a member of a local FB group for livestock animal auctions and it does include horses.
It's a fairly small group, and the moderator is very strict as far as making sure everyone follows the rules, accurately represents their animals, and tries his best to reduce people from running bids up, no show buyers, etc.
THAT SAID...I have bid on a couple colts, and a couple broodmares. There has been the occasional "barrel horse" listed, but to me there's a reason they didn't sell prior to being put up for auction.
Many of the barrel and/or rope horses, and even nicer prospects, are typically PO'd bc buyers on the site are more interested in trail type horses, and therefor lower prices.
There are MANY sellers in the group who pick up sale barn animals and try to make a buck...and many who have simply discovered people will pay a higher price on FB than they will at the sale barn...and you don't have to haul your animal, pay fees, etc.
They do require horses to have current coggins, and will ban people who completely misrepresent an animal. | |
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 Miss Laundry Misshap
Posts: 5271
| I think Fallon Taylor has success with hers, but we know some of the stories that come out FT sales. Haven't heard anything bad lately though.
I think most of it equates to people having horses that aren't selling and are desperate, but don't want to pay commission.
The buyers are people who are hoping for a nice horse for cheaper than they'd pay outright. Tons buy at regular auctions, so I don't think that aspect is much differnent.
Then there's the illegals (as in it's illegal to do) who post the random draws. | |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 899
Location: Idaho | Whiteboy - 2018-03-15 9:25 AM
Has anybody every purchased a horse from an online action, such as when people do facebook auctions? Would you? What would you expect in order to participate in one of these? I see several of these happening and am curious as to the type of people that buy from them.
I'm not sure if you mean buy a horse from an auction/slaughter house? Or an auction where people put their horse for an auction (I've seen ones do a, "I have 100 slots, $25 a slot" then do a drawing, or do an auction on a horse saying the horse goes to the higher bidder with a reserve.
I have known people who have purchased horses for the auction/slaughter houses and they actually have lucked out.. other's not so much.
I also had a friend who purchased a horse through an auction (the multiple slots/purchase a slot) version and she got royally screwed. The horse that was pulled off the trailer was not the horse that was represented. It was three legged lame,underweight, needed his teeth/feet done, and had a lot of issues. I guess it comes with the territory though when you only pay a fraction for a drawing.
Lastly I had a good friend of mine who actually paid a good amount of money for a finished 1/2D horse trained by a very well known WPRA Professional. I will not say names.. but the owner did an online auction for this horse, my friend paid for this horse. Once again.. the horse was shipped across the country and the the horse that got pulled off the trailer was NOT the same horse. Meaning the horse she was buying was a sorrel..off walked a dun. The horse was under weight, lame, and couldn't turn a barrel to save it's life. Never even seen a pattern, or so it seemed. The seller did not get back to her. She took that money and went on with her life, this is not the first instance I've heard of this happening from this person either.
So needless to say, I am extremely leery of online auctions in any form. I would want to see the horse in person before giving someone my money.
Edited by DashNDustem 2018-03-14 12:26 PM
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That's White "Man" to You
Posts: 5515
| Nateracer - 2018-03-14 12:11 PM I think Fallon Taylor has success with hers, but we know some of the stories that come out FT sales. Haven't heard anything bad lately though.
I think most of it equates to people having horses that aren't selling and are desperate, but don't want to pay commission.
The buyers are people who are hoping for a nice horse for cheaper than they'd pay outright. Tons buy at regular auctions, so I don't think that aspect is much differnent.
Then there's the illegals (as in it's illegal to do) who post the random draws.
Yes there have been a bunch of the random draws for a few years now. Not really talking about them, but more along the lines of Lowrance Horses, they seem to be high quality horses, with a good reputation. I also see Beto, the owner of "On A Gator", selling in an auction style. | |
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Miss Laundry Misshap
Posts: 5271
| Whiteboy - 2018-03-14 12:28 PM Nateracer - 2018-03-14 12:11 PM I think Fallon Taylor has success with hers, but we know some of the stories that come out FT sales. Haven't heard anything bad lately though.
I think most of it equates to people having horses that aren't selling and are desperate, but don't want to pay commission.
The buyers are people who are hoping for a nice horse for cheaper than they'd pay outright. Tons buy at regular auctions, so I don't think that aspect is much differnent.
Then there's the illegals (as in it's illegal to do) who post the random draws. Yes there have been a bunch of the random draws for a few years now. Not really talking about them, but more along the lines of Lowrance Horses, they seem to be high quality horses, with a good reputation. I also see Beto, the owner of "On A Gator", selling in an auction style.
I forgot about Lowrance. They do seem quite nice and have never seen a bad word about them, but then again, I'm not a frequent flyer for reiners/cow bred forums or pages. | |
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| Whiteboy - 2018-03-14 10:28 AM
Nateracer - 2018-03-14 12:11 PM I think Fallon Taylor has success with hers, but we know some of the stories that come out FT sales. Haven't heard anything bad lately though.
I think most of it equates to people having horses that aren't selling and are desperate, but don't want to pay commission.
The buyers are people who are hoping for a nice horse for cheaper than they'd pay outright. Tons buy at regular auctions, so I don't think that aspect is much differnent.
Then there's the illegals (as in it's illegal to do) who post the random draws.
Yes there have been a bunch of the random draws for a few years now. Not really talking about them, but more along the lines of Lowrance Horses, they seem to be high quality horses, with a good reputation. I also see Beto, the owner of "On A Gator", selling in an auction style.
One of our mares is due to foal a Hired Gun baby soon, and Melanie was wonderful to work with in regards to getting us a special contract (I don’t do FB, but I watch their pages and saw they had a Black Friday promo and I was a few days late for it- she honored the promo price and was very sweet to work with). That being said, I have never met her personally, but everything I have heard and read about how they run their program has been on the up and up. When Hired Gun got hurt last spring, the commitment they made to his rest and rehab was exemplary. He’s back working cows after a complete tendon tear on a hind leg.
They usually post papers, radiographs if available, and 5 panel results, plus they answer tons of questions in the comments. I have yet to see a bad review, and I definitely look because I am known to be skeptical. Speaking to their level of horses, they consigned Shiine, a colt who sold for $90k at the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Select Futurity last fall, and it appears he is doing well with his new owners.
If the right horse came along and the timing was right where we could bid away with no maximum, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy from them. I would rather purchase a horse from an auction like theirs, where you know they are wanting to provide the best and make a good name for themselves, rather than from a Joe Blow down the street trying to make a quick buck. | |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 678
Location: Canada | I'm going to exclude well known barns/breeding facilities that breed then train the offspring and have annual auction sales in the below statement. As their reputation is key to returning buyers and as such I believe hold themselves to higher standards.
I honestly believe that older (5 years plus) broke horses that are run through a sale typically have something wrong with them either in their training, behavior, mental state, or health/lameness. I've been to a lot of auctions and the saddle horses never sell for what a horse of their "description" would in a private sale. The number of horses that have been listed as "kid safe" that buck during their under saddle showing has only furthered my belief. There are of course exceptions such as divorce, death or unexpected financial strain that results in good horses needing immediate new homes for cash but those are the exceptions not the rule.
A horse with a good performance record, with videos and good reputation will sell privately if well priced. An auction would get you typically less so why would a person intentionally take less?
I've watched some of the Facebook auctions from some well known professional racers and some of those horses have been visibly lame in their runs. Watching those videos it wasn't surprising that they were "auctioned" off instead of listed for sale. A pre-purchase exam would certainly have identified whatever issue was going on.
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 Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | RunNitroRun - 2018-03-15 2:39 PM I'm going to exclude well known barns/breeding facilities that breed then train the offspring and have annual auction sales in the below statement. As their reputation is key to returning buyers and as such I believe hold themselves to higher standards. I honestly believe that older (5 years plus) broke horses that are run through a sale typically have something wrong with them either in their training, behavior, mental state, or health/lameness. I've been to a lot of auctions and the saddle horses never sell for what a horse of their "description" would in a private sale. The number of horses that have been listed as "kid safe" that buck during their under saddle showing has only furthered my belief. There are of course exceptions such as divorce, death or unexpected financial strain that results in good horses needing immediate new homes for cash but those are the exceptions not the rule. A horse with a good performance record, with videos and good reputation will sell privately if well priced. An auction would get you typically less so why would a person intentionally take less? I've watched some of the Facebook auctions from some well known professional racers and some of those horses have been visibly lame in their runs. Watching those videos it wasn't surprising that they were "auctioned" off instead of listed for sale. A pre-purchase exam would certainly have identified whatever issue was going on.
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Meanest Teacher!!!
Posts: 8555
Location: sunny california | RunNitroRun - 2018-03-15 1:39 PM I'm going to exclude well known barns/breeding facilities that breed then train the offspring and have annual auction sales in the below statement. As their reputation is key to returning buyers and as such I believe hold themselves to higher standards. I honestly believe that older (5 years plus) broke horses that are run through a sale typically have something wrong with them either in their training, behavior, mental state, or health/lameness. I've been to a lot of auctions and the saddle horses never sell for what a horse of their "description" would in a private sale. The number of horses that have been listed as "kid safe" that buck during their under saddle showing has only furthered my belief. There are of course exceptions such as divorce, death or unexpected financial strain that results in good horses needing immediate new homes for cash but those are the exceptions not the rule. A horse with a good performance record, with videos and good reputation will sell privately if well priced. An auction would get you typically less so why would a person intentionally take less? I've watched some of the Facebook auctions from some well known professional racers and some of those horses have been visibly lame in their runs. Watching those videos it wasn't surprising that they were "auctioned" off instead of listed for sale. A pre-purchase exam would certainly have identified whatever issue was going on.
This is probably true a lot of the time; however,Some people are just too busy to deal with selling a horse. Consignment is not always a great option as the broker wants training fees and some of them price the horse too high as to get a big cut and the over priced horse sits too long racking up costs. Not only that, if a horse sits too long and doesnt get sold then buyers think something is wrong with the horse, making it hard to sell and running up the tab . Honestly sometimes it is better to just cut your losses and let someone get a great deal. | |
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Tried and True
Posts: 21185
Location: Where I am happiest | A friend of a friend bought a horse on line from Lowrance horses in a online auction and the horse is very nice and exactly as represented I would not be afraid to participate on a horse from them. They are a big outfit that travels in a big circle and their entire life and business is their horses and they stand behind their horses. On the other hand, the lottery selling of horses where you buy a slot and it's a random draw is one I would steer clear of. They are done by random people and I have seen some real doozey horror stories. Completely different ballgame then buying from Lowrance's. | |
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 Undercover Amish Mafia Member
Posts: 9992
Location: Kansas | I would be skeptical. I've seen too many of those after posts about someone who won a horse on a raffle that was obviously misrepresented (unsound, scared up, skinny, etc.) that even if I won the horse on $20....the vet bills would outweight the initial excitement lol | |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | ThreeCorners - 2018-03-18 7:20 AM
A friend of a friend bought a horse on line from Lowrance horses in a online auction and the horse is very nice and exactly as represented I would not be afraid to participate on a horse from them. They are a big outfit that travels in a big circle and their entire life and business is their horses and they stand behind their horses. On the other hand, the lottery selling of horses where you buy a slot and it's a random draw is one I would steer clear of. They are done by random people and I have seen some real doozey horror stories. Completely different ballgame then buying from Lowrance's.
Theres one on Barrel Horses for sale page right now, a beautiful bay that Melanie Lowrance has up for a Facebook auction..  | |
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A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Heres the ad# 351844 just in case someone wants to see the Facebook auction that belongs to Melanie Lowrance  | |
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Folks on-line